https://www.instagram.com/p/CDVn_zHFaZE/

GBDURO20 is officially underway as a small but elite group of intrepid adventurers set off at 8am from the cliff-top at Land's End on heavily laden steeds, headed for John o' Groats at the other end of the British Isles.

We'll be covering all the action in what promises to be a fascinating experiment in endurance racing. If you thought unsupported racing was tough, the bar just got pushed considerably higher for this edition. While the riders settle into their rhythm, let's take a look at what this race is all about...

## What is GBDURO?

GBDURO20 is a 2000km self-sufficient bikepacking race from Land’s End to John o’ Groats on ancient byways, gravel, singletrack, lanes and everything in between.
 
The route showcases the very best of UK riding from start to finish, immersing riders in the rich history that has shaped the British Isles, connecting sections devised by local riders with in-depth knowledge of all the best unknown back-routes and secret spots. Riders will be faced with some of the UK’s most challenging cycling landmarks including Dunkerry Beacon, The Gap, Great Dun Fell (with a twist), and the Corrieyairack Pass, racking up over 30,000m of climbing.

![GBDURO20 Map](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/44UKUd98oBSRBOShFQlR72/a4a31eeae51d097d0dbd6f1ccb6cfe0a/GBDURO20_Map.jpg)
 
## You eat it, you pack it

In only its second instalment, what was already a brute of a race has been made even harder by the switch from ‘self-supported’ to ‘self-sufficient’. The Covid pandemic means that racers can’t use any buildings for resupply or shelter, or accept any assistance from others, so they will have to pack all food necessary for the entire race from the start (at least their bikes will be getting lighter as they go!). They’ll also be carrying all empty packaging with them to the finish line, as riders aren’t allowed to dispose of any non-biodegradable waste along the way.
 
Last year’s checkpoints, which gave riders a much-needed rest from the intensity of the action, have been removed for this edition, meaning it’s now a single stage from start to finish, with the clock only stopping when racers reach John o’ Groats. You can read more about The Racing Collective, GBDURO's organisers, and their ethos [here](https://www.dotwatcher.cc/feature/five-minutes-with-the-racing-collective).
 
These extreme measures have whittled down the start list to 14 hardy souls, including two former pros, one of whom has already cycled around 1400km to the start due to the race’s ‘no fly’ rule. The new race format makes it difficult to predict how many (if any!) will finish and which kind of rider, bike or strategy will be best suited to this kind of challenge. We don’t even know how long it will take - last year Lachlan Morton won the race in less than 7 days but the added luggage and difficulty this time means it’s anyones’ guess. We’re in uncharted territory here so it’s going to be a fascinating one to watch!


And they're off!

![EeVMbfxWsAAf7h9](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/aOkhxQrjChYIhS9jypmhR/7bfa9498e95d49498c25a3c50c524fc1/EeVMbfxWsAAf7h9.jpeg)

We're 6 hours into GBDURO20 and as the riders steadily make their way North East through Cornwall, the peloton is gradually spreading out with groups beginning to form. As the race takes shape, we thought we'd paint a picture of the terrain the riders are taking on in this first section. I rode GBDURO last year and I have some vivid memories (traumas) from the first day.

As soon as the race starts the riders are into sections of tight, technical singletrack with deep grooves cutting through the moorland between worryingly large rocks. It was carnage last year with riders strewn across the landscape having come off their bikes, so god knows how they're going to cope this year with all the extra baggage strapped to their bikes...Svein has a TRAILER to negotiate through these sections!

Here's a video from last year's race where Francis Cade falls foul of one of these nasty sections: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yk3MKFJAgs0

When the singletrack eases off, the road sections in Cornwall tend to be very steep, giving competitors the chance to see how their ultra heavy steeds deal with a harsh gradient - can they keep their front wheels on the tarmac?

## Dunkerry Beacon

![RWGPS Dunkerry](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/73hksvGGlfqWTZ1xkXJEFh/8205a8ddcd6991329974801045e87e1b/RWGPS_Dunkerry.png)

A feature that riders might reach on day is the highest summit of the first English section of the race: Dunkery Beacon, which comes 256km into the race and reaches 505m before the route dives down into Bristol.

My memory of the beacon from last year was an incredible sunset with views over the Bristol channel, followed by a terrifying white-knuckle descent in the middle of the night over big, loose, sharp rocks which seemed to go on forever. I still wake up in cold sweats having nightmares about that night - it will be a big test of riders' bike setups and technical descending skills alike.

Timing can come into play for these sections, forcing riders that arrive at night to make a decision to press on and tackle it in a tired state, or rest up and descend fresh, and in daylight.

## Map of Section 1

This year the race is run as one uninterrupted stage, but to keep it manageable, here's the RidewithGPS map of the first section (up to last year's CP1 in Wales). 

<iframe src="https://ridewithgps.com/embeds?type=route&id=33603735&metricUnits=true&sampleGraph=true" style="width: 1px; min-width: 100%; height: 700px; border: none;" scrolling="no"></iframe>


Terrain of the first section


Our riders have been out there taking on the elements for a full 24hrs now so let’s take a look at how they approached the first night and how it’s affected the race.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CDYQcTKhwkj/

## The Top 5

The top 5 had been taking shape throughout the day as the peloton left Cornwall and moved up through Devon. Angus and Jason battled it out at the front, with Ross vying to be in contention throughout the afternoon. Josh and Svein lurked ominously behind this trio, like wiley old hunters stalking their prey, or something.

![Josh Ibbett](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/6DRYJbYUJxXA3grXqOc8Jm/7e82a4f370ef2d3a006b5878cc89dc1e/Josh_Ibbett.png)

In the first Mexican stand-off of ‘who sleeps first’, Ross was first to call it a day after 250km, followed by Svein then Josh, having completed the worst of the climbing and technical riding before Bristol. Angus, true to last year’s form, kept pushing through the night and was the only rider in the field to do so, giving him a 75km lead on Josh Ibbett, who used an early start to get the jump on the rest of the top 5. Jason’s tracker seems to have gone dark, so we can’t confirm where he is at this point, he may well pop up later today hot on Angus’ heels.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CDYQpBCAL2y/?igshid=nzmdqwtr5f7r

Ross and Svein are the riders in this pack with the least ultra-endurance experience and interestingly they were the first to sleep, with Ross getting a comparatively early night. Could this see them slip out of the reckoning as we go deeper into the race, or will pure cycling talent see them through as they ‘learn on the job’?

## Gail and Molly

The battle for first woman is shaping up, as Gail caught Molly after the ex-pro had a long unexplained stop - she probably wasn’t stopping to forage or hunt a small mammal at this early stage of the race with supplies still fresh, so it was possibly just an early mechanical. The two were locked in close-combat going into the night, with Molly just edging past Gail this morning.

## Grupetto

![Anisa Spew](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/7w83vkDC0nZLjzkPbRhXH9/dc354c56aeffec3fc160a7422c77ef15/Anisa_Spew.jpg)

![Paul Addy](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/6EGv0v8bpyV1jkXLDS1CLv/7f8141a86f5e60892e080b2d6796698e/Paul_Addy.png)

Behind these two, another group of 5 riders were fairly evenly spread out across the course, with Paul and Colin jostling for the lead of this second group, virtually inseparable as they both called it a day 217km in. Adam and James were never far behind, followed by the race’s only pair - Chris and Sharon, with Anisa and Miles initially hanging out for solidarity at the rear of the race, before Anisa left the Racing Collective founder in her dust (actually he was enjoying a dip in the river Camel) to open up a 64km gap to the Lanterne Rouge.

![James Day1](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/2axDAuM58ByVyldWVtvaHk/80468fc2808945944af2d775b34b894a/James_Day1.jpg)

The second day of a race is always challenging, after the adrenaline of the start has faded, a possibly uncomfortable night has given muscles time to stiffen and ache and the reality of how much is still to come dawns on the riders. In addition, our riders will have run out of whatever water they packed at the start, so the difficult task of finding water will now be an added daily challenge to contend with.  


24 Hours In

![Molly+Gail](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/1hzk9CG3dtOL6NP6ui5BlV/1ac4bb377c0da7ba45a397d6f4966005/Molly_Gail.png)

First up, let's take a look at the riders competing at the pointy end of the race, starting with two women who have been locked in a neck-and-neck battle from the start...

### Molly Weaver

![Molly Weaver](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/6as2fkeskpjASBCYxTotHJ/c5e62abc5e19f370c54831548a741698/Molly_Weaver.png)

Molly Weaver is a former pro for the Matrix Fitness, Liv-Plantur and Trek-Drops teams.  She now rides for Orbea Racing.  Don’t let this impressive list of road-racing employers fool you into thinking that she won’t be equally as fast off road - we have seen how seriously she is taking this race in her preparations.

Her training for the race included 1300 (muddy) laps of her parent’s garden as a charity money-raising lockdown “Weaver” alternative to the Dirty Reiver, which you can read about in this [Cycling Weekly Article](https://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/latest-news/former-pro-molly-weaver-rides-130km-off-roadin-her-back-garden-454501). She didn’t have to carry all of her provisions on this occasion, however - and now her bike tips the scales at 35kg wet!

![Molly Weaver](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/4S4RdNHLqFBilquXb2oqFG/c827b3cfa11255942a375d55a13dff84/Molly_Weaver.png)

Check out Molly's Instagram [here](https://www.instagram.com/mollyweaver94/)

### Gail Brown

![Gail Brown](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/1LNlsZJy43rtpuYMgYKSk2/92613519a59d5d8f555488f304ae75d8/Gail_Brown.png)

Gail is no stranger to ultra endurance racing, having finished as 3rd Woman in last year’s TCR No7 in just over 13 days - very impressive, especially as it was her first attempt at this kind of event! She has multiple strings to her bow too, with mountain biking and mountain trail running experience that should stand her in good stead for this race. She’s also a physiotherapist, so she can repair any injuries she sustains on the fly. 

Gail has gone with the sensible choice of hardtail mountain bike for this year’s event. The suspension will make life faster and more comfortable on the off-road sections, and a set of Tailfin panniers is a sleek and secure option for carrying all her food.

![Gail Brown](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/dYC6i1H6lGAGtl7nUSR25/f9bd8d3db9163a20a931fb4b1516b6e4/Gail_Brown.png)

Check out Gail’s Dotwatcher [Rider Profile.](https://dotwatcher.cc/profile/Gail%20Brown) and her Instagram [here.](https://www.instagram.com/g.h.brown/)

Meet the Riders (Part 1)

Just ahead of Molly and Gail, a top 5 group has started to establish itself, with 100km separating 1st and 5th. Let's find out who's competing for these places...

### Angus Young

![Angus Young](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/2cw3eWE297yRM4rrNsLIFR/dbb57bd28ede11b429feaeaf49b9c55c/Angus_Young.png)

Angus returns for another bite at GBDURO after finishing 2nd in last year's edition (he won if you don’t count Lachlan Morton). His riding style is raw and unruly so expect extreme speed, unplanned dismounts and lots of punctures. From what we can glean from pre race intel, he's planning to fuel his ride entirely with marzipan. With knowledge of the entire course and on a mission to improve on last year's result, Angus has to be one of the favourites.

![Angus Young](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/2uUshXmds5pNSaSW6EMaBQ/ae2c6244051d8e53d021a69b273ee04a/Angus_Young.png)

Angus is on one of three green Mason ISOs in this year's race, running a full frame bag with bottles displaced to his seatpack. He gets extra hipster points for the tan wall tyres and Brooks saddle, which presumably are converted to a time advantage at the finish?

Dotwatcher [profile](https://dotwatcher.cc/profile/Angus%20Young).

### Jason Black

![Jason Black](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/1IXxjFtRpBnbVVvCJ7giky/5cd04705d080bee34488e25ef34bdfff/Jason_Black.png)

Jason is an elite endurance cyclist and mountaineer with an intimidating C.V: Race Across Italy 2016, 2017, Race Around Ireland 2016, 2nd in Donegal Atlantic Way Ultra 2016, Course record holder for Race Around Ireland Ultra Challenge, Bikingman Oman 2018, North Cape 4000 2019, Transatlantic Way 2019 and Everest and K2 summits for good measure (and probably more that we haven't dug up).

![Jason Black](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/6YimMADEpcxxabzqWRlPaS/49f931159da37557632768a3bafeb55e/Jason_Black.png)

He's riding a Mason Bokeh with a more traditional bottle setup, a rigid rear rack housing the bulk of his gear, and 700c x 45mm WTB Riddlers giving a nice balance between speed and control.

### Josh Ibbett

![Josh Ibbett Start](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/6mQNVLRIseZR6U6Wg3NGXt/4c12b19bea9f600d923dd46a24b6ec80/Josh_Ibbett_Start.png)

Josh is a familiar name to most in ultracycling circles and is sure to be one of the favourites this year.  Without doubt he is relishing the chance to hard-man it out against the former pros this year.  He is a veteran of multiple TCRs (and victor in 2015), the Tour Divide, Bikingman Oman, and his winter cyclocross and mountain biking background should stand him in good stead in his first GBDURO.

Josh took a “sabbatical” last year to quench his thirst for fast round-the-world bike touring and managed to squeeze in entering the Race Around Rwanda in January this year.

![Josh Ibbet](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/5xPvBcM9LP1LGTmARTGdpI/1e65bbe93fc118326881fa1612f061f1/Josh_Ibbet.png)

He is riding his trusted Mason Hunt set-up but we are not sure how familiar his scales are with the 32.5kg pre-race weigh-in he states his bike and kit are.  Josh is taking the dried food and stove option with each front fork bag and handlebar bag loaded up with over 14000 calories.

Check out Josh's bike setup: [Bike setup video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qu0RsE9-Ta0) and his [Dotwatcher Rider Profile.](https://dotwatcher.cc/profile/Josh%20Ibbett)

### Svein Tuft

![Svein Tuft](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/1nlci8n28QrNmE07tn8qlY/1850f69e7609e957d3069630eba75fda/Svein_Tuft.jpg)

Svein Tuft is a Canadian former road bicycle racer, who rode professionally between 2005 and 2019 for the Symmetrics, Garmin–Transitions, SpiderTech–C10, Mitchelton–Scott and Rally UHC Cycling teams.
 
Tuft was the winner of the 2006–07 UCI America Tour, and was a thirteen-time champion at the Canadian road cycling championships: twice in the road race, and eleven times in the time trial, and has ridden the Tour, the Vuelta and the Giro. In fact he has even worn the Maglia Rosa and featured in a cycling legends card game

![Svein Pro Trailer](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/7o7zO8E3hTm8Fk7rJISQK0/7caee7d6a45918724670d130936f0073/Svein_Pro_Trailer.jpg)
 
Fully buying into GBDURO's no-fly, sustainable ethos, Svein cycled 1400km to the start of this year's race from Andorra, towing a trailer all the way - you can read the full story in this [VeloNews article](https://www.velonews.com/news/gravel/the-grind-svein-tuft-rides-to-the-start-of-a-2000km-race-from-andorra/). He has previous form living the cycle hobo lifestyle as you can read [here.](https://www.velonews.com/news/road/qa-parsing-truth-from-fiction-in-svein-tufts-legendary-hobo-adventures/) We know that he has developed an unhealthy post retirement fascination with gravel..and that he’ll demonstrate outright speed...but whether carrying all his provisions in a trailer is the right tactic...we wait to see.

### Ross Holland

![Ross Holland](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/2SMMVQ4E35CHjc9X3Wd4RV/31443957190a3ec013cf0a7f5eeb25cb/Ross_Holland.jpg)

Riding for the Saint Piran team, Ross is competing in GBDURO to sate his ravenous hunger for racing amid a Covid-enforced pause in his usual road racing season - as he explains in this [article](https://saintpiranprocycling.com/news-stories/2020/7/11/lands-end-to-john-o-groats-off-road-and-unsupported-ross-2000km-challenge).

![Ross Holland 2](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/6C2dJogsPPY7tFtFRGS1KS/5c3e8b73893710bff727b3fd1694018d/Ross_Holland_2.jpg)

Ross rides a rather lithe looking Colnago carbon CX bike, has been up in the top two or three all day. You might expect that from a road racer, the question is does he have the endurance experience and mentality to stay there?


Meet the Riders (Part 2)

![Gail Snap](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/3hbaLzBfXJK3Ev9fcAQZRd/3169549459b98770396e24a4c841e9a5/Gail_Snap.jpg)

It was always going to be fascinating to see which won out in the battle of bike vs terrain, and Gail's latest report makes it 1-0 to the terrain. From the photo it looks like her carbon Tailfin pannier rack has snapped. No further details at this stage, other than she's attempted a bodge and she's back rolling again (slowly).

We hope you can somehow get it fixed up enough to carry on unhindered Gail - which throws up an interesting question...are riders able to use commercial services for bike repairs? We suspect not under these new extreme rules...

Update from Emily Chappell's instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CDZdXGblyPE/


Oh Snap!

![Screenshot 2020-08-02 at 21.31.15](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/4EtQkHkIdj5o4nfFBAxx3F/2a38da249f6cdec60aa41b222d85d5e6/Screenshot_2020-08-02_at_21.31.15.png)

The front runners are entering one of the toughest sections of terrain in the race, and timing has given them the extra challenge of darkness to contend with. 'The Gap' is a classic mountain biking route amongst the mountainous terrain of the Brecon Beacons that climbs up a steep valley on an old sheep track, eventually reaching 'the gap' between two summits - Pen y Fan (886m) and the appropriately named Fan y Big (719m).

Thinking back to last year, the terrain going over the pass ranged between 'just about rideable but scary', to 'definitely get off and push for this bit'. Angus and Josh are through, with the remainder of our top 5 just entering the danger zone.

Mind The Gap!

![88e01de3-ff54-4685-ae47-56c37755b2c9](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/1F4n2aK2yBjUCUObVXTW9l/3b9f1a8ab7639aa21ca3581a5bd3b1c9/88e01de3-ff54-4685-ae47-56c37755b2c9.jpg)

Our riders have been out there for over 2 whole days now, and the stresses and strains of the race are beginning to tell. We saw Gail's rig struggle to maintain structural integrity under an assault of the most brutal gravel the south west has to offer, and it looks like the south west's finest racing team is suffering similar punishment, with Ross struggling to keep the air *inside* his tyres.

![Screenshot 2020-08-02 at 17.14.28](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/6E1z4zOWXs0JK3bDkiiM3I/0627cce70eb85bbcb460c689ee7f3f63/Screenshot_2020-08-02_at_17.14.28.png)

Molly seems to be MIA, her tracker showing that she's been stopped just off route on the outskirts of Cheddar. Either her tracker has gone down, or she's investing some time cultivating cheese from raw natural ingredients to see her through the next section of the race. Let's hope it's the former and she'll pop up like a ninja to continue her enthralling battle with Gail.

![MG 5977](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/3K8qV8ZfOuysrriqDlcr99/5c34c737458049f55b3732192f800dc1/_MG_5977.jpg)

*Photography from [Felix Smith](https://www.instagram.com/felix__smith/)* 

Breaking News: Angus has slept! After 42 hours and a staggering 650km, Angus finally treated himself to a 2hr 45min nap, then presumably smashed a battenburg and cracked on. Josh, who has now opened up an almost 40km gap to Jason, enjoyed a luxurious 4 hours sleep. The two obviously set their alarm clocks for the same time, meaning when their wheels hit the trail Angus did so 60km further down the road.

![Screenshot 2020-08-03 at 09.35.28](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/7iofTwLz1foQy3OKl6tIaz/f83cb91b1637b9b672ca4d6a23eeacd4/Screenshot_2020-08-03_at_09.35.28.png)

Jason and Svein have wisely waited until morning to traverse the Llyn Brianne Dam & Reservoir, a stunning landmark on the route that looks like a Bond villain's secret lair, and would be a shame to miss out on.

### Consistency is key

As any endurance veteran will tell you, consistency is key, and Adam seems to be taking this advice to the extreme - look at the consistency of progress update selfies...military precision indeed!

![Adam Colvin Hoax 1](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/60dFKYM7SY7mCUmvtmOB42/0950e99f5539a9022dd24e0d22a7b344/Adam_Colvin_Hoax_1.jpg)  

They are so consistent in fact that the GBDURO Fraudulent Activity Bureau has been called in to investigate...could 'Adam' actually be constructing an elaborate hoax by staging his backgrounds to give the illusion of progress? We'll let you decide.

![Adam Colvin Hoax 2](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/6548WsTnFfmiOPzphAs7b4/4ae39a8a93510a70d1a2f080ea7441ca/Adam_Colvin_Hoax_2.jpg)

### Grupetto Update

![08b7f02c-5425-4b94-b9ea-dc658fddb447](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/6DAjZPGUdFp7FTNbMonehM/5de3d21730b6b5be1109ffba18a9af0b/08b7f02c-5425-4b94-b9ea-dc658fddb447.jpg)

https://www.instagram.com/p/CDa_jQUpqM0/

The carnage continues further down the field, with members of the grupetto also succumbing to mechanicals and other perils. Sharon - the better half of our only pairs team - reports a leaky valve, requiring frequent pumping to keep pressure in the tyre. It's not clear whether it's her tyre and she's enrolled her team member to do the hard work while she posed atop Dunkery Beacon (Nice weather for it though).

Colin Addison, who is now steaming deep into Wales reminds us that wildlife can be a threat once the race goes 'abroad'. Colin sustained the race's first wasp sting, serving as a grave warning to all other riders. When advised "You need to pee on it", Colin replied "I would have done, but it flew away".

Roving reporter Emily Chappell has been hunting down more racers, this time intercepting Anisa on the Clifton suspension bridge...

https://www.instagram.com/p/CDa6g_BFb_v/

Another of our dotwatchers / spies, Tim Poole (https://www.instagram.com/tim.poole.6971/) has been out papping the whole field, here we see 'team neon' in action: Miles 'and miles' Resso, and James Illman here on the same sartorial wavelength.

![Team Neon](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/1bIMBalf9DAKgU61Weelui/4f2fc27c6fe5a5849f12044e6354bf99/Team_Neon.png)



48 Hours In

![Molly](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/7waCiLecOo51kk3OHd8vkx/19f6f17673def153757c4c01cae67edf/Molly.png)

![Ross](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/6Nl8KVDVbbXVgsmZpUWNk1/636a5faaeb298d94ee1609105988e9c3/Ross.png)

### News just in: Ross and Molly have scratched.

As we saw earlier, Ross was struggling with punctures and early reports suggest he had to divert to Brecon to get his tyres patched up in a bike shop. As we all know, this is an illegal move and as soon as he stepped inside the building the automatic scratch alarm system was triggered here at GBDURO HQ and Ross was immediately eliminated. Not killed, just disqualified.

We believe Molly has also scratched, although details are thin on the ground at this stage and we don't know whether or not it was indeed cheese-related.

All our riders have devoted months of time, energy, effort and money into getting to the start line, so it's never a nice sight to see peoples' races coming to an end. Commiserations to these two, who both lit the race up in the first two days battling it out in exemplary fashion. We hope they'll come back and give it another crack next year.

2 Scratches

Day 3 saw the race take its first casualties with Molly Weaver and Ross Holland forced to scratch.

The remainder of the pack continues to ride, push, carry and haul their bikes across the landscape. They aren’t immune to problems of their own however, with punctures continuing to wreak havoc amongst the peloton.

![2020-07-31-GBduro-3](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/6wdiBmTRyZdsI98nU66Lot/4beb5a7ecb6119e46ba50b5821438f76/2020-07-31-GBduro-3.jpg)

![gbduro-sat01-07569](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/6z0j1mSxJFILeXJQ8DcjmU/bcd6f9b158234f58fc88c34243d05728/gbduro-sat01-07569.jpg)

![gbduro-sat01-07437](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/49e32MxqDoQfFVNLB0wdCn/8f6b6e85b9d3809fbd11994e1b1905f5/gbduro-sat01-07437.jpg)

Sharon & Chris seem to be constantly pumping (insert sexy joke here) and true to form Angus is racking up the punctures, this time managing to seal his tyre with 3 tubeless plugs, rather than the manic inner tube patching frenzy witnessed last year. He’s approaching Manchester now, having completed Wales with days of 289km, 296km and 233km.

![f352fcb9-1f87-4084-9cdb-92e651eae244](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/128Z4VjzjlASmB2Ko1Zzx5/d0d4e5abd1d9eb4662c1b97273349824/f352fcb9-1f87-4084-9cdb-92e651eae244.jpg)

*Angus' puncture fixes*

Angus is managing to keep Josh at arm’s length, a 3hr sleep with Josh taking an extra hour in his bivi, extending the gap between the two to 85km. Jason is 75km further back and we guess Svein is around there too, although he’s gone of radar for the past 16 hours in what could be a tactical move.

![Screenshot 2020-08-04 at 08.08.32](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/RG276482aK5k695IBHTIR/9f46478168f701d5f3edd4832dd5bbf8/Screenshot_2020-08-04_at_08.08.32.png)

The puncture plague is even affecting this year's film crew, as Angus Morton reports:
> Rise and shine!! We got our own taste of the GB duro yesterday, flatted our mountain bike on a trail in mid wales and had to walk it the 15km through to the car. 😂😂. My respect for you only increases.

### Meanwhile, in the groupetto...

![7a151903-2db2-4f30-bc14-445c3799df19](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/1cUGVyVI6WpqcBBUiZ2lCx/4919aea2de2ab8ca8f3a57ffd05948f1/7a151903-2db2-4f30-bc14-445c3799df19.jpg)

James has been forced to carry his bike up some stairs...

> “Steps + 40kg bike: quite difficult 😂.  Carried my bags up separately, just couldn't lift it. Why did I fill up with water at the bottom?! 🤦‍♂️”

He also found someones’ trowel - gross.

...at least he has a restful end to a long and traumatic day:

![James Moon](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/6BYibCSBMSWUYVgTM8pnc8/6ddff6c8847e6598ebc6cf04577c9192/James_Moon.jpeg)

> "Moon over Beacons. My view as I fall asleep. Slow day. Lots of pushing. My left foot is pretty mangled after an early slip which makes that difficult. Held off dessert tonight in case I need to stretch food another day. Amazing riding the gap, never thought I'd do that!"


![Screenshot 2020-08-04 at 07.14.29](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/3fMEYMLYeIIXzsRAe6BUXl/ffa40a81ed1b676b9bdde502e314add1/Screenshot_2020-08-04_at_07.14.29.png)

Shout-out to all the fans who have been up all night on Zoom 'Miles Resso Watch Parties' eagerly awaiting the big moment when he enters Wales. Caffeine supplies must getting dangerously low for the fans, but don't worry guys, he'll be across the bridge within an hour and you can all go to bed! 

Finally, we’ve received another textbook selfie from Adam - I can’t tell if he’s in on the joke or not!

![Adam Colvin Hoax 3](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/4ODFxNqLJ0wY49ePyIpRd6/6974ed9761e92d009246f4843059a7e8/Adam_Colvin_Hoax_3.jpg)
 


Day 3

Off-road, fully self-sufficient race from Lands End to John O'Groats.

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